'Comeback Kid' of B.C. election says NDP must adapt and build bridges

B.C. NDP’s first caucus meeting Premier David Eby and the NDP met for the first time on the heels of a razor-thin election victory.

The New Democrat whose 27-vote, come-from-behind election victory is being credited with giving Premier David Eby a razor-thin majority says he's a bridge builder in his diverse community and the party needs to forge similar relationships across British Columbia.

Garry Begg's slim win over the B.C. Conservative candidate in Surrey-Guildford is still subject to a judicial recount, but for now it gives the NDP the 47 seats needed to form a majority in British Columbia's 93-seat legislature.

Begg, a former RCMP officer who was first elected in 2017, was greeted with hugs and handshakes Wednesday as the NDP's new caucus gathered at the legislature for its first meeting since before the Oct. 19 election.

"I don't build walls. I build bridges. We have bridges to build here," Begg said, referring communities across the province.

Begg was trailing B.C. Conservative candidate Honveer Singh Randhawa by more than 100 votes on election night but there were more than 600 mail-in and absentee ballots still to count.

He whittled down the margin to 12 votes by the time mail-ins were counted on Sunday, then on Monday he finally overtook Randhawa, a couple hours into the absentee count.

Now he said he's being called the "Comeback Kid."

"There's a wealth of names besides what I'm normally called, which I won't tell you about," he said with a smile.

NDP House Leader Ravi Kahlon said now that the campaign is over, building strong relationships across the province will be one of the government's primary goals.

"When we come back into here at the legislature our job is to represent everybody in B.C.," he said. "It doesn't matter what community you are in. It doesn't matter who you voted for. That reaching out from different communities has been important for us for the last four years and certainly will be very important for the next four years as well."

Most of the NDP members were elected in Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, but relationship-building work with municipal governments, businesses, organizations and people in Prince George, Kelowna and other northern and Interior communities will be a major focus, Kahlon said.

Begg said he echoed the earlier comments of the premier, who said voters sent the NDP a strong message that they want change.

"I know that they want changes to the way we do things and that's what we're about," he said. "We have to do that. We have to adapt."

The NDP won a large majority government in 2020, taking 57 of the 87 seats in the legislature. But after all the ballots were counted on Monday, the New Democrats escaped with the barest majority of 47 seats in the expanded legislature.

The B.C. Conservatives have 44 seats, while the Green Party won two seats.

Eby said one of his first orders of business is putting together a new cabinet after losing five ministers during the election and seven who did not run.

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad has said he plans to ensure his new caucus will place intense pressure on the NDP to work to help everyday people in the province.

He said on Tuesday that he knows residents don't want to go to another election right away, "however, when I look at the damage that has been done by David Eby, if he's going to carry on with that path, then I would have no choice."

A statement from the BC Chamber of Commerce urged all members to prioritize improving the state of the provincial economy.

"Without a strong economy, affordability will remain unachievable for British Columbians," it said.

The province is falling behind in many sectors, it said, noting that 12,400 manufacturing jobs have been lost since 2017 and more than 10,000 forestry jobs were whittled away in the last four years.

"This is unprecedented and unsustainable," the chamber said.

It said the members heard throughout the campaign that families, communities and businesses are all navigating extraordinary affordability challenges.

"Rising costs for essentials like housing and groceries are placing immense pressure on households, while many small businesses face growing difficulties meeting their payrolls and staying open for business."

Eby told the media on Tuesday that he heard the message from voters in the tight election that they want the NDP to do better on issues that include public safety.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2024.